After being busted for pretending to run into him, I pursed my lips in embarrassment. Picking up his phone, I saved my number in his contact list in double-quick time.
“I’ll get someone to send your dad to the best hospital in Avenport tomorrow for his surgery. Don’t worry about it.”
Just as I started feeling disappointed in him, his words made my heart leap. The distaste for him within me was replaced by gratitude. Now I know that Michael’s actually a compassionate man. He isn’t as heartless as he appears to be.
“Thank you…”
Looking down, I mumbled with my hands interlaced.
Although the man had made an outrageous request, he gave me the two hundred thousand to save my father. That was why I didn’t blame or hold a grudge. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Soon, the car pulled over at Natalie’s place. Breathing a sigh of relief, I opened the door to get out of the car. Just then, he grabbed my wrist.
“Remember to show up whenever I call you. Don’t look for me if there’s nothing important.”
His aloof voice sounded like a command, and his high-handed attitude made me feel uneasy, but I remained silent.
“Sure, I’ll bear that in mind. Don’t worry; I won’t cause you any trouble.”
I’m not a fool. I can easily read between the lines and grasp the implicit meaning of his words. In his eyes, I’m nothing more than his secret lover. If this matter ever gets out, his reputation will be in tatters. Is everyone from the upper echelons of society so hypocritical? That doesn’t surprise me, though. In fact, I’m glad he said this. I don’t want anyone to know about our scandalous relationship either.
After Michael’s car drove away, I heaved a long sigh of relief before heading upstairs. Though there were some hiccups in the process of getting the two hundred thousand, a sense of delight welled up in my heart.
I’m ecstatic that there’s hope for my dad now. As long as he can live through this safely, I’m willing to pay the price, whatever it is.
Back at Natalie’s place, I realized that she was still running around, trying to borrow some money for my sake. A wave of warm, fuzzy feeling washed over me. She was the only one who encouraged and gave me a helping hand when I was at rock bottom.
I called her right away, asking her to come home since I had already had the money.
Half an hour later, Natalie was huffing and puffing when she finally reached home. Before I could utter a word, she rushed over to the fridge straight away. Taking out a bottle, she guzzled the mineral water.
“Natalie, what happened to you? Why do you look so thirsty?”
Trotting toward her, I gazed at her with a worried look.
The woman gulped down a few more mouthfuls of water before answering me with a furious face. “I’ve gone to a few friends’ houses to borrow some money, but all of them gave me various reasons to reject me. Ugh! How annoying!”
I felt deeply moved by her words. She must have been helping me scrape together some money.
“Natalie, don’t worry about the money. I’ve got enough money already.”
My voice was choked with emotion. I strolled over to Natalie, wrapping my arms around her. I’m so touched to have a friend who helps me unconditionally during the darkest times of my life.
Hearing my reply, she glanced at me in surprise and asked promptly, “Really? Where did you get it from?”
I knew she would question me. I didn’t know how to answer her because I refused to let her know about my relationship with Michael.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Since I have the money now, my dad can undergo the surgery tomorrow.”
Unwilling to talk about the source of the money, I changed the subject.
“I’ll go to the hospital with you tomorrow.”
Natalie sized me up speculatively. This woman knew me best. Knowing that I had my reasons for not telling her the truth, she didn’t pursue the matter further.
“I can’t thank you enough, Natalie.”
Staring into her eyes, I thanked her from the bottom of my heart.
“There’s no need to say thanks between us. Anna, your problems are mine.”
Draping her hand around my shoulders, she plastered on a nonchalant expression. However, I could tell that she was trying to cover up her bashfulness after hearing my words.
After grabbing a quick bite, I went to bed earlier than usual. I had to stay attentive and robust tomorrow; I needed to look after my dad, who would be in frail health after the surgery. Hence, I had to take good care of myself first.
The next day, just when I was about to head back to my hometown to pick my dad up for his surgery, my mom called and told me that they were already at the best hospital in Avenport.
When I rushed over, my dad had been admitted to a VIP ward, being taken care of by a few dedicated nurses.
Glancing at the man on the hospital bed, I turned to look at my mom and mumbled, “Mom, how did you come here?”
A smile broke across her face at my question. “Didn’t you ask your friend to bring us here? This friend of yours is really thoughtful. He sent a minivan to pick us up, just so the long journey wouldn’t be too exhausting for your father.”
Hearing her words, I furrowed my brows in bewilderment. Since when did I ask my friend to bring my parents here? Besides, I don’t have such a generous friend, to begin with. In Avenport, the only person I know is Natalie, and I’m sure she hasn’t done such a thing. Oh, wait… Could it be Michael’s doing?
At that thought, I was certain that he had arranged for all this. Last night, he said he would get someone to send my dad to the best hospital. Thinking that he was paying me lip service, I hadn’t taken it to heart. It turned out that the man was being serious about it. He was really efficient.
It was nine in the morning now. It took almost six to seven hours from my hometown to the hospital. Did Michael send someone to my parents’ place at midnight yesterday?
A wave of indecipherable emotion shot through me. Other than thankfulness, a strange feeling grew within me.
As I was engrossed in my contemplation, my mom patted my shoulder, staring at me with a puzzled face. “Anna, what are you thinking about? You seem lost in your thoughts.”
Her voice snapped me out of my trance. Glancing at her caring gaze, I panicked and averted my eyes right away. “Nothing. I’m just thinking about work.”
I didn’t have the guts to mention Michael in front of my parents. If they ever found out that I had made a deal with the man, it would drive my dad up the wall.
